When Symble's Thunderja had reached full power, she pointed at Yuna and watched the place light up. It was only after the spell hit that Symble realised where that light was coming from.
"Ixion!" Yuna called. The aeon sprinted in front of Yuna and absorbed the Thunderja and created a wave that pushed both womem away. The aeon neighed and the sound echod through out the plains.
Everyone at the Inn was either at a window or in the reception, trying to see what was going on outside.
Both women were stunned. They struggled to get up as they watched the aeon stand between them.
"How did you summon so fast?" Symble asked as she staggered towards Yuna who was still on the ground. The aeon stepped into Symble's path when she tried to get closer to Yuna.
"Ixion?" Yuna called. They aeon didn't respond to her. Symble started to get scared.
"It's your aeon, isn't it? Didn't you summon it?" Symble panicked. "What is going on-"
"Be quiet!" Seymour yelled as he came out of the Inn. Ixion went to Seymour. He dismissed the aeon and went to help Yuna get up. Isaaru came out of the Inn, looked around and went to Symble.
"What happened here?" Isaaru asked.
"It doesn't matter. Seymour is probably going to take sides with Yuna whether he knows what happened or not." Symble said mounfully. "Right now I don't want to see that woman's face."
Symble watched as Seymour helped Yuna back to the Inn. Seymour didn't even look at her.
Everyone retured to their rooms. Isaaru walked Symble to her room which was across from his.
"Well, uhm, goodnight Lady Symble." Isaaru said politely. Symble waved at him with a faint smile and leaned against the door of her room with her forehead against it.
"Lady Symble?" Isaaru called. Symble turned around and looked at him. He gestured for her to come into his room.
*o*o*o*
Yuna was the first to wake up. When the others woke up, they all met at the reception, had a quick chat and got ready to leave. There was just two people missing: Isaaru and Symble.
Symble was still asleep. Isaaru had his arms around her, the same way they were before she fell asleep. The previous night, Symble talked about all her worries, sobbed and talked some more until she fell asleep in Isaaru's arms, even though she planned to go back to her own room.
Isaaru was awake for a long time. He thought that she might wake up if he moved his arms but he saw no reason to do that and besides, he was starting to like being that close to her.
A knock on the door almost gave Isaaru a fright. He had no choice but to let go of her. He slid his hand from under her and her eyes opened.
"Good morning." Isaaru said with a smile.
"Morning." Symble said. She was lying with her hands under her head. Her hair was covering her face so she could hardly see him.
The knocking continued and seemed to get more intense. Isaaru walked quickly to the door and opened it slightly.
"Good morning, Lady Yuna and Maester Seymour." Isaaru said. Symble heard him and she got up quickly. The door opened wide and put Symble in Seymour and Yuna's view.
"We were just looking for you two." Yuna said as her eyes darted around the room. "We are leaving."
Symble got off the bed and stretched. She smothed out her hair and ran out the door without making eye contact with Yuna and Seymour.
Isaaru walked with Yuna and Seymour to the reception. Symble stood in corner away from everyone else, doing her long brunnette hair into a neat braid. Isaaru stood beside her as the group left the Inn.
"We're not far from Bevelle now. The second portion of the Plains is only half the size of the first." Isaaru said when they were outside.
"They are probably talking about us." Symble said as she pushed her long braid to her back.
"Don't worry about that. They have nothing to say concerning us." Isaaru said. Symble watched Yuna for a long time. Yuna had her arm wrapped around Seymour's arm. She occasionally turned around slightly to look over her shoulder and get a good view of Symble.
"What are you going to do about her?" Yuna asked as she looked at Symble once more.
"Nothing, but you will. Both of you." Seymour said. Yuna looked at him and frowned.
"What do you mean?" Yuna asked.
"Have you forgotten that Lady Symble is our ally and defeating Sin is still our main priority?" Seymour asked. "Must the people of Spira continue to sufferer the wrath of Sin because of a petty argument between summoners?"
"She tried to kill me." Yuna complained.
"From now on, she didn't. Symble is a very important citizen of Spira. She isn't an ordinary summoner. I'm sure you've noticed her eyes. She is the child of two different types of people." Seymour said. Yuna thought about her human father and Al Bhed mother. One of her eyes were green and the other one was blue.
Yuna thought of Symble's eyes. They were both blue with the same spiral that Al Bhed eyes had.
"Is she like us?" Yuna asked.
"Yes. Although, she is a bit different. She is the daughter of an Al Bhed father and a human mother." Seymour said. Yuna didn't know what to say. She kept quiet for the rest of the journey.
Symble was the exact opposite of Yuna that day. To the rest of the group, her voice was just a whisper but to Isaaru, the harshness of her words competed with the thunder. Symble was grumpy and couldn't stop expressing her incressed dislike towards Yuna.
"It's such a pity she had to go looking for us. The day started so well." Symble whinned. Isaaru smilled.
By the time they reach Bevelle, it was way past midday. Lulu, Wakka and Kimari were waiting outside the temple.
"I'm so glad you made it!" Yuna said cheerfully after they greeted each other. Yuna looked at the three of them with a curios look on her face. "Where is Sir Auron?"
"He left us a few days ago and went to the Calm Lands. He said he had to go find Tidus." Wakka said. "I guess he doesn't have a reason to be here. I figured that's how he is, ya?"
"Wakka, you shouldn't say things like that." Yuna said. Wakka apologised and stroked the back of his head.
"I didn't believe it at first when I heard you were getting married." Lulu said, trying to avoid a descussion on Tidus and Auron.
"Neither did I." Symble mumbled sarcastically. Yuna eyed her coldly.
"You'll have plenty of time to catch up later today." Seymour said. "Guards, lead our gests to their rooms."
They group split up and followed the guards. Yuna went with Lulu as soon as she realised it was a oportunity to get away from Symble.
Symble was about to walk away with the guard assigned to her when Seymour stopped her for a quick chat.
"You need to be more tolerant of Yuna if you want our plan to work." Seymour said.
"What about me? What about how I feel?" Symble asked. She refused to look at Seymour.
"Think about how you will feel after you become the summoner of an aeon greater than even Sin." Seymour said with excitement. Symble looked at him for a very long time.
"How do I know I can still trust you, considering the fact that you take Yuna's side all the time?" Symble asked.
"If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be here because of your fight with Yuna. She may be my bride for now but you will always be more." Seymour said as he stroked Symble's cheek. "Go, now. Make Yuna believe that she is your ally. We have a meeting in the evening. Make sure that she and her guardians don't know."
"Consider it done." Symble said boldly. She left Seymour and asked the guard to take her to where Yuna was.
Symble and the guard walked quickly. They went around the temple and up a set of stairs that took them to a pathway with doors on each side. There were guards at almost every place in Bevelle.
The guard stopped at one of the doors. It had a temporary lable on it that read "guardians". Symble entered the place with the guard. It had a large living room, kitchen and many bedrooms. It was pure royalty.
Lulu and Yuna were standing in the living room.
"Symble," Yuna said unenthusiastically as Symble aproached her. "I wasn't expecting you."
"Let's talk outside." Symble said. Yuna looked at Lulu with reluctance. "I'm not here to fight." Symble reasured her. Yuna looked at Lulu and Lulu nodded. Yuna went outside with Symble alone.
"If it's not a fight then what brings you here?" Yuna asked.
"I came to apologise." Symble said. Yuna looked surprised. "I haven't been very nice to you lately and I'm sorry. I think things would be better if I got to know you."
"I accept your apology but where is this all coming from?" Yuna asked.
"That really doesn't matter. The point is we're a team and we should be looking out for each other." Symble said. She could tell that Yuna wasn't convinced. "Don't go to the temple this eveing. The monks are doing a prayer for your wedding. I just thought I'd let you know."
"Thank you for telling me." Yuna said quickly and started going back inside.
"Yuna," Symble called. "I'd like to help with the wedding."
*o*o*o*
In the evening, Symble walked to the temple alone. She wasn't completely convinced that Yuna believed her but she was content with the effort she made because Yuna wasn't going to the temple.
Only summoners were there in a room that was dark and filled with an eeriy white mist, like most of the temple. It had a circular glass table in the centre that was far from the door.
The meeting started early. Seymour repeated a lot of the things they talked about in their first meeting as a team. By the time night set in, he was done going over things they already knew and started talking about their plan of action. That was the meeting's turning point.
"Symble and I have discovered a way to defeat Sin without the final aeon." Seymour said proudly. "Yevon has failed us so now we will have to take matters into our own hands. Symble, share our secret with our friends!"
"We are going to create an aeon greater than the final aeon." Symble said with an evil grin.
"You expect us to believe that?" Dona asked. "It's impossible."
"I am Symble! Greatest user of dark magic in the history of Spira!" Symble said and laughed proudly.
"My Symble has a special ability that no other summoner or dark mage in Spira can use: she can summon dark aeons." Seymour said.
"All I have to do is summon my dark aeon and absorb the energy of other aeons and their summoners. It will drain their health to nothing but, like most victories, someone has to die." Symble said.
"I'm leaving!" Dona said as she stood up.
"Please, feel free to do so but if you tell anyone what we discussed here, I will kill you." Seymour said in a friendly tone. Dona continued walking to the door.
"It won't work! We will end up dying for nothing!" Dona yelled.
"Come on, Dona. Let's at least hear the details." Isaaru said. Dona folded her arms and went back to her seat.
"Thank you, Isaaru." Symble said. "As I was saying, my aeon grows stronger by absorbing the energy of summoners and aeons. I have done it before and the summoner who volunteered still lives among us as an unsent. Right, Belgamini?"
Isaaru and Dona looked at Belgamini in horror.
"I have grown stronger ever since." Belgamini said. "By the way, good job on spreading that rumour about my death in the Moonflow."
"I can't believe this!" Isaaru yelled.
"Took you long enough." Dona mumbled as she rolled her eyes.
"I know this must be very confusing for both of you but the only way that you will understand is to do it." Seymour said fiendishly.
"What about Yuna? Why isn't she here?" Isaaru asked. Seymour looked at Symble and grinned.
"We have something very special planned for her." Seymour said. Dona got up again and headed for the door. Isaaru was just about to get up when a dozen armed guards emerged from the shadows.
"This meeting isn't over. Have a seat so that we can discuss our plan some more." Symble said. Dona ignored her and continued walking to the door. A guard stepped in her way and pointed his gun at her.
"Get out of my way! You don't even have the guts to shoot a summoner!" Dona said. Symble sighed and leaned on her arm.
"You are so stubborn." Symble said, annoyed at Dona. She signalled to the guard. He pulled the trigger with no emotion. He shot a few more times just to be certain. He heard a soft voice outside cry "Dona".